Guys love "Meat & Potatoes." Show your Valentine how much you care by making him the perfect Beef Stew (Beef Bourguignon) for a cozy Valentine's Day Dinner for Two. It is a great combination of delicate French flavors and methods for her, with manly meat & potatoes for him. Can't wait until Valentine's Day? It is also great to make on a Snow Day (like today, for some of us!)... check out the photo above from my kitchen window this morning.

Beef Bourguignon sounds complicated and intimidating. Or at least I thought it did. Until I made it, and discovered it was just beef stew with herbs and red wine. What makes it even better is that it is done all in one pot, and it makes the house smell amazing.

Coat the Chuck Roast with olive oil, salt & pepper. Heat a large dutch oven on the stove top for 2 minutes, then sear the roast for 2-3 minutes on each side. Add stock, wine, garlic, and herbs. Cover and put it in the oven for 4 hours at 225 degrees.

After 4 hours of cooking, add the carrots, potatoes and mushrooms. Cook for for 30-45 minutes longer. Remove from the oven. Place the pot on the stove, and remove the roast from the stock and wine sauce, placing it on a platter. Cover and let it cool for 10 minutes. Leave the sauce (with herbs and vegetables) in the pot on the stove.

Meanwhile, thicken the sauce (that remained in the pot) by microwaving 2 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the butter, stirring it until smooth. Whisk it into the sauce until smooth. Cook on medium heat until the sauce begins to bubble and thicken. You may add another batch of the thickening mixture, if you desire.

Remove the fat and bones from the Chuck Roast. Shred the beef into large pieces back into the sauce.

To serve, slice the baguette, then toast it a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes. Rub the piece of raw garlic onto each piece. Place one piece into the bottom of each soup bowl and ladle in the beef stew.